Interlocking rail joint



Nov. 19, 1929. J. M. HEASLEY 1,736,652

INTERLOCKING' RAIL JOINT Filed March 27, 1929 Patented Nov. 19, 1929 JACOB M. HEASLEY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA INTER/LOCKING BAIL JOINT Application filed March 27, 1929. Serial No. 350,362.

This invention relates tolcertain improvements 1n interlockmg ra1l oints; and the nature and ob ects of the mvention Wlll be readily recognized and understood by those skilled in the arttowhich it relates in the light of the following'explanation and detailed description of the accompanying drawings illustrating what I at present believe to be the preferred embodiments'or mechanical expressions of my invention from among various other forms, arrangements, combinations, and constructions of whichthe inven tion is capable withln the spirlt and't'he scope thereof.

The invention is particularly directed to and deals with rail oints of the type employand strong rail joint locking and maintaining the rail ends in position against undeslred' relative movements and against lateral movements or spreading under the loads and stresses to which they are subjected in use.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a rail joint tie plate and interlocking splice bar of a mechanically simple design, relatively light in weight and comconstruction which can be readily manufactured by rolling the same to shape according to familiar methods of manufacturing such 40 railroad track materials.

A further object of the invention is to provide as interlocking rail joint of a structure and arrangement which enables the oint to be quickly and easily formed and the rail ends secured thereto, as. well as permitting a formed'joint being readily disconnected and the rail ends removed, all wlth a'minimum of time and effort, without the use of special fastening elements or tools, and with assured. accuracy in ahnement and positioning of the rail ends and the joint formed therebetween.

A further object of the invention is to provide a rail joint embodying interlocking splice bars, rail ends and tie plate, of a design and arrangement which permits of the rail ends being placed in position supported on the positioned tie plate, and the splice bars then interlocked therewith and secured and attached thereto, all without the necessity of forming or partially forming and connecting elements of the joint prior to laying the rails in their final track forming position. 1

another object of the invention is to over come the difficulty encountered at rail joints due to the flattening of the upper edges of the rail ends by car wheels striking thereonwhen the rail top surfaces become out of alinement; and this object is obtained with the interlocking rail joint of the invention through the provision of a bridge formed across the rail ends by the joint interlocking splice bar.

With the foregoing general objects, and certain other objects and results in view which will be readily recognizedv from the following explanation, the invention consists in certain novel features in construction and in combination and arrangement of elements, as will be more fully referred to and specified hereinafter.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

in which similar reference characters refer to corresponding parts throughout the several figures thereof:

Fig. 1,1s a view in side elevation of a rail' I 1 joint of the invention,aportion of the joined paratively low 111 cost, and a design and rails and rail ties being shown, and the view I 1.

taken from the outer side of the track to show the interlocking and bridge forming splice bar of the invention.

Fig. 2, is a top plan view of the joint of, Fig.1. I 4

8, is a view of the joint in end elevation and showing the arrangement of interlocking tie plate and splice bar ribs and grooves, the rail being shown in vertical section.

In the particular form and embodiment of the invention presented in the accompanying drawings by way of an example and not of limitation, a rail joint of the inventionineludes the tie plate P secured to and across the 6" The splice bar 13' of therailjoint which fitsspaced ties T with the abutting ends of the joined rails R supported and received on tie plate P, and the splice bars A and B secured to opposite sides of and extending across the rail joint, with the splice bar A interlocking with the tie plate P, in a manner to be described and explained hereinafter.

The tie plate P is formed of any suitable.

metal for the purpose and preferably capable of being rolled to shape. Referring now to Fig. 3 of the drawings in particular, the plate P is provided longitudinally along its outer edge on the upper side of the plate with the inturned flange 10 extending spaced above the plate to form a longitudinal recess there under between the plate and such flange. Adjacent the opposite or inner edge of the plate P but spaced a distance inwardly therefrom, a similar upwardly extending and inturned flange 11 is provided on the upper side of the plate extending longitudinally thereof and parallel with flange 10, to form a longitudinally extending recess between the flange and the plate. Adjacent the flange 10, spaced inwardly of the plate from the flange, a rib 12 is formed on and extending upwardly from the plate longitudinally thereof and parallel with the flange 10 (see Fig. 3). Spaced spike holes 12 are provided through the plate, in the line of and interrupting or extending downwardly through the rib, in the present instance twoof such holes 12 being provided, although any desired number may be provided, for receiving spikes for securing the plate to the ties T. (See Fig. 3.) Similar spike receiving holes or bores 11 are formed through the plate P in the space between the inner edge of the plate and the flange 11 (see Figs. 2 and l The tie plate P, so designed, is readily capable of manufacture to shape providing flanges 10 and 11, and rib 12, by rolling, thus enabling ready manufacture with available and standard equipment and making the production of the tie plates a practical manufacturi'ng operation.

A tie plate P is placed in the proper position on and secured to and across the spaced ties T' (see Fig. 2), by spikes N in the spike holes-1 1, driven downwardly through the plate and into the ties T. With plate P in this partially and preliminarily secured position, the ends of the rails R are then placed in abutting position resting on the plate P between rib 12 and the flange 11 at the inner side of the plate, after which the rails are moved or slide inwardly on and laterally across the plate until the inner edges of the bases 14 of rails R are fitted under the flange 11 and received in the recess formed thereby, the rails thus being held at their inner sides against outward and vertical displacement from the plate.

against the inner sides of and across the abut ting ends of rails R, in the usual position between and bearing against the rail base 14 and the under side of the rail head 15 (see Fig. 3), is in the present example of a more or less standard design in general use and need not here be described in detail. "It is to be understood however, that other designs and forms of splice bars suitable for the purpose, may if desired, be employed at the inner sides. of the rail ends, and it is not intended that the invention be limited to the form of splice bar B here shown.

According to the invention, the splice bar A forms a member interlocking with and between the outer side of the tie plate P and the outer side of the joined rail ends, as well as: providing awheel receiving bridge across the joint between the heads 15 of the abutting rails R. In the example. hereof, referring particularly to Fig. 3 of the drawings, .the

splice bar A is formed with a body portion which seatson and against the upper face of the outer sides of the bases 14 of the joined rails R. The body portion 20 of bar A is provided at its lower side with. the laterally and downwardly extending foot portion 21 which terminates in the outerside or edge flange 22 extending longitudinally of and: across bar A, and which is formed to rest upon the plate P and fit under the plate flange 10 (see Fig. 3). The under side of the foot 21 of bar A is formed to fit upon the plate P and is provided with a longitudinally disposed groove 23 to fit over and receive the plate rib 12, the construction and arrangement being such that arib 24 is formed be tween foot groove 23 and the inner edge of the foot 21, which rib 24 fits between plate rib 12 and the outer edge of the rail bases 14. Spike holes or bores are formed downwardly through the foot 21 of splice bar A, for vertical alinernent with the plate spike holes 12, the bar foot 21 being cut away or countersunk inwardly around such holes to provide the spike head receiving pockets or recesses 29, as will be clear by reference to Figs. 1 and 2, in particular.

At opposite ends of the bar A, lugsor cars 25 extend longitudinally of and from the lower side of the body portion 20, over and seated upon the upper side of the bases 1 of rails B, respectively. Bolts 26 are extended" upwardly through the rail bases and the lugs 25, with the bolt heads-27 on theunderside of the rail bases adjacent opposite. ends of the plate P, to prevent and form stops against longitudinal or creeping movement of the rails R and splice bar A onthe tie plate. The bolts 26- are secured and fastened on theirv upper ends by suitable nuts or'th'e like 28.

The splice 'bar- A has the body 20 thereof formed with the upward or verticalextension 30 providing the rail head joint bridge 30, the uppen surface 31 of. whichis substantially,

flush with the upper face of the rail heads 15 (see Figs. 1 and 3). The bridge 30 of the bar A is longitudinally recessed along its inner side to receive the rail heads 15, which recess provides a shoulder 32 (see Fig. 3) bearing against and fitting under the rail heads, so that bar A is fitted and extends between the rail heads 15 and the rail bases 14. By the bridge 30, wheels passing over the rail joint are supported and received thereon to take the weight from the rail ends and prevent flattening the edges of the rail ends, when, for example, one rail en'd moves downwardly even the smallest distance to place its top face out of alinement with the top face of the other rail end. By this arrangement the rail ends are relieved from battering and the weights and forces of wheels passing over the joint are carried by the bridge 30, which spans or extends across the rail ends, the bridge distributing and transmitting the weights and forces through the splice bar to the tie late P and ties T.

The ody portion 20 of splice bar A is formed with a series of spaced bolt receiving bores therethrough, which are enlarged or countersunk on the outer side of the bore to provide the bolt head receiving recesses 41. A corresponding series of bolt bores are formed through the rails R and the splice bar B in the usual manner for alinement with bores 40 of bar A, in assembled position of the joint. It is here to be noted that the splice bar A, designed and arranged as above de scribed, is also capable of manufacture by rolling methods, so that the invention has provided a rail joint in which each member or element can be readily, practically and cheaply manufactured and produced by prevailing methods of manufacture.

In assembling and forming the rail joint, the tie plate P is secured at its inner side to ties T by the spikes N, and the rail ends are placed thereon with their bases under plate flange 11. The splice bar A is then placed with its foot flange 22 under plate flange 10, and is next forced inwardly and downwardly toward the rail ends and tie plate, the rails being tipped if necessary, to the position shown in Fig. 3 with the bridge shoulder 32 fitted under the rail heads, and the plate rib 12 in the foot groove 23, and the foot rib 24 between rib 12 and the adjacent edges of the rail bases 14. The splice bar A is thus firmly and rigidly interlocked with and between the plate P and the rails R, with the rails held between the splice bar A and plate flange 11. The lugs 25 are then fastened by bolts 28 to the rail bases 14, and the entire assembly of rail ends and splice bars is securely fastened together by the rail joint bolts 42 extending through the bolt bores 40, and rail bores and bores in splice bar B alined therewith, the heads 43 of bolts 42 being seated in recesses 41 of bar A, and

tains and secures the joined rails in proper alinement against relative movements, and which due to the interlocking tie plate and splice bar forms a joint which can withstand the severe strains and vibrations encountered in use without loosening or lateral movements which result in spreading of the rails. The rails and splice bars are so interlocked with the tie plate that relative movement between the rails and the tie plate is eliminated, and the required stability of the joint insured, while the loads and stresses imposed thereon are evenly distributed through the joint and the tie plate to the ties, without concentration at any one point in the oint or its fastening elements. The joint can be readily assembled and as readily disconnected for removal or replacement, and the facility of forming the joint is materially aided by the tie plate formation which allows of the plate being positioned on the ties and the rail ends laid on the plate into position, and then the splice bar A placed in position interlocking with the rails and the tie plate. With the rail joint formed, the joined rail ends are secured and maintained in substantially rigid and fixed position against displacement on the tie plate P, by the flange 11 at the inner side of the plate, and by the splice bar A at the outer side of the plate, the various securing bolts aided by the plate spikes N'and N preventing longitudinal or creeping movements. The splice bar A interlocks with and between the rail heads 15 at its upper side, and at its lower side with the tie plate P and rail bases 14, at the flange 10, rib- 12, and rib 24.

It is evident that various changes, modifications, variations, substitutions, and additions might be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, hence I do not wish to limit myself in all respects to the exact and specific disclosures hereof.

Desiring to protect my invention in the broadest manner legally possible, what I claim, is:

1. A rail joint embodying a tie plate formed along one side with an inturned flange and a rib longitudinally of the plate on the upper side thereof adjacent and parallel to said flange but spaced inwardly therefrom, rail ends mounted on the plate with their bases parallel with the rib but spaced therefrom, and an interlocking splice bar secured across the rail ends on the side thereof adjacent said plate flange and rib, said splice bar formed 4? ma -ma,

to seat upon the rail bases and provided With a laterally extended foot portion engaged under said plate flange and fitting down on the plate between said flange and the adja- 3 cent edges ofthe rail bases, the underside of the splice bar foot portion formed With a groove fitting over and receiving said plate rim, and the foot portion of the splice bar vertically movable to and from position With the groove thereof fitting over and receiving said platerib.

.2. A rail joint embodying a tie plate, rail ends'mounted on the plate extending thereacross, a splice bar secured to one side of said u rail ends and seated upon the upper sides of the bases of the rail ends, said splice bar formed with longitudinally disposed lugs eX- tending from opposite ends thereof and seated on the rail bases, and bolts extended through m said lugs and the rail bases with the bolt heads disposed on the under side of the bases at opposite ends of and adjacent the tie plate to provide stops against movement of the rail across the plate 3. A rail joint embodying a tie plate formed along its inner and outer edges With longitudinally disposed and inwardly turned flanges spaced above the upper face of the plate, a rib formed on the upper side and longitudimnally of the plate adjacent but spaced in Wardly from said outer edge flange, abutting rail ends mounted on the tie plate With the inner edges of the rail bases engaging under the inner, flange of the plate and the outer 3g; edges of the bases spaced from the plate rib,

and a splice bar attached to and across the outer sides of the abutting rails and seated upon the upper sides of the rail bases, said splice bar formed With a laterally extendingfoot portion seated upon the plate between the outer edges of the rail bases and the adj acent plate flange, engaging such flange and fitting over and engaging the plate rib, and the said splice bar and foot portion vertically movable from and to position fitting onto and over the rail bases and platerib. V

Signed at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this 21st day of March, 1929.

JACOB M. HEASLEY. 

